There are a lot of other unknowns about the virus. There’s some evidence, for example, that it may be linked to an increase in microcephaly cases in Brazil (although as Christie Aschwanden points out at FiveThirtyEight, that link will be hard to prove). And there are a lot of conspiracies, too, as Sarah Zhang points out at Wired: some claim the microcephaly cases are actually due to genetically-engineered mosquitoes, vaccines, and even the Rockefellers....
Building on last year’s United Nations climate change conference in Scotland, the key issues dominating headlines this time include mitigation measures, adaptation strategies, net-zero targets, and funds for losses and damages in communities that are bearing the brunt of the crisis. This year, the US delegation is heading into COP on the heels of the Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The $369-billion policy, which also tackles other issues like lowering healthcare costs, is the largest investment in American history in climate and energy to date....
Hands down the best thing about this Breville convection oven is its versatility. This one-cubic-foot oven roasts, toasts, bakes, and does everything else that other conventions ovens do, but it also has both dehydrator and air fryer settings. Plus, it can roast a 14-pound turkey and preheats in about 3 minutes. The LCD display makes it easy to scroll through all the cooking functions. This oven is top-of-the-line and comes with a price tag to match....
It’s obviously a terrible situation, with more than 34,000 deaths worldwide at the time this story was published. And experts say that the real impact to climate change is what we take away from the pandemic—the choices we make in our recovery. It does, however, provide scientists some insight as to what happens to our atmosphere when our lifestyles and economy undergo major change. “It’s an unwanted atmospheric experiment,” says Helen Worden, an atmospheric scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)....
Either way, you’ll need to take immediate action. Here’s what to do if someone gains access to your credit card information. Reach out to the credit card company “The most important thing you can do is act rapidly,” says Rod Griffin, director of consumer education and awareness at credit bureau Experian. As soon as you suspect your card may be compromised, log into the website of its issuer and check your statement for any unauthorized transactions....
Until now, scientists have used CRISPR to treat diseases by removing some of a person’s cells and applying the gene-editing technology to the cells in a lab. In the case of sickle cell anemia, for example, where red blood cells become misshapen and fail to function properly, doctors will remove cells called hematopoietic stem cells, which will eventually turn into red blood cells and other blood cells. They then apply the gene editing technology to those cells, which makes changes to address the genetic defect causing the faulty blood cells, and insert the cells back into the body....
What makes Felix Gonda’s Balance of Power graphic worth highlighting is that it displays a massive amount of information–156 years of presidential elections by state, electorate, and popular vote, plus the political allegiance of each member of Congress–in a way that is both comprehensible and compelling. In short, it’s an impressive feat of data visualization. Explore it! How it works: Drag the knob over the timeline to watch the balance of power shift....
The full name is “The Anti-Submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel”, which collapses to the “ASW Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel,” or ACTUV, pronounced “Active.” DARPA, c’mon. That’s quite a length to go to for a name that doesn’t even capture the coolest thing about this autonomous robot ship. ACTUV is built with submarine fighting in mind. “Optimized to robustly track quiet diesel electric submarines,” in DARPA’s words. There are lots of ways to hunt submarines, and no particular reason a sub hunter is better without any people on it....
In addition to dangerously high speeds, the tornadoes took Tennesseans by surprise: They occurred between about 10 p.m. Monday and 2 a.m. Tuesday, when most people were asleep. The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for Davidson, Sumner, and Wilson counties at 12:35 a.m., but evacuation numbers were likely still low. “The intensity of the tornadoes and the weak structures filled with sleeping people in their path were a recipe for disaster,” says Kelsey Ellis, a hazard climatologist at the University of Tennessee Knoxville....
Despite these challenges, corals have shown some signs of hope and different genes in theses resilient animals can potentially protect one another from diseases. A new study published this week in the journal Scientific Reports finds that disease-resistant corals can help “rescue” corals that are more vulnerable to disease, under the right living arrangement A team from the University of California, Davis, the University of Florida, and the University of South Florida monitored a disease outbreak at a coral nursery at Little Cayman in the Caribbean....
But the smoky end-product is not the entire story. Tobacco must be grown, and that process puts a serious hit on the environment. The plant itself is very demanding, absorbing six times as much potassium from the soil as most crops do. Farmers in some undeveloped nations grow tobacco until the soil is useless and then clear-cut forests for fresh land. In those areas, 600 million trees are felled and burned annually to dry and cure tobacco leaves....
In 2012, Congress tasked the FAA with creating rules for integrating small unmanned aircraft into American skies. They wanted to see a registration system in place by the end of 2015. For several years, the FAA approved drone uses on a case-by-case basis. Last fall, they announced a task force to draft drone regulation rules, and borrowing some of the task force’s suggestions, they rolled out a drone registry website on December 21st....
Earlier this month, DiJi Aerial Media used two Phantom 3 Advanced drones to capture aerial views of the former park. They describe their video as “a tribute to all the memories that this park helped create.” Watch drones explore the amusement park’s bones below:
Astrobiologists like studying extremophiles, those bacteria and other creatures that live in horrid temperatures or pressures, because they could conceivably live in the hostile environs of other planets. But Serratia liquefaciens is a generalist, as the authors described it–it evolved probably at sea level and lives in plant, animal and aquatic worlds. To understand how well future human missions might imperil Mars with our filthy life forms, microbiologists led by Andrew Schuerger at the University of Florida set out to test how well common Earth bacteria could survive in Mars-like environments....
Below, some of our favorite eco-friendly wallet options. People who use mobile payments whenever possible and credit for everything else will find this wallet has just enough space. Use it to pack a few cards, IDs, and just enough cash for emergencies. Both lightweight and strong, this wallet is made in the U.S. with water-resistant recycled racing sailcloth. If you’d like to get beyond basic black, choose cyan or green for a bit of color....
Best book: The Complete Manual Of Things That Might Kill You Who needs a doctor when you can diagnose yourself at home? The Complete Manual Of Things That Might Kill You is catered specifically to a hypochondriac’s needs: It specializes in obscure, hard-to-pronounce diseases that you tooooooootally have. From gastroparesis to polycythemia, this book has got you covered. Best for the clean freak: NIANPU UV Ultra Violet 21 LED Flashlight Black lights—those lights that emit ultraviolet light—can quickly become a favorite tool in the hands of the right hypochondriac....
More and more people are looking for ways to curb their expenditure, with many resorting to hacks like cutting back on eating at restaurants, considering store brands, choosing less expensive meat cuts, and shopping at warehouse clubs. “The American consumer will go out of their way to save money on gas,” D.A. Davidson analyst Michael Baker told Reuters. “The gas business drives traffic to the parking lot, and then somewhere between 30 percent and 50 percent of those customers end up going into the club and buying something....
How did this all start? I used to play video games competitively back when e-sports was still called “Pro Gaming.” I was living in Korea, and my friends and I were always looking for a competitive advantage during sessions of Quake 3, Unreal Tournament, and other first-person shooter games. We were willing to try anything. We were always talking about how to hack our computer rigs to make everything a little faster....
The new application, still in development, provides what I think is the first wireless link between an iPhone and PC (aside from syncing both gadgets over MobileMe). Eye-FI says it will also allow uploads to any Web site – such as Flickr or Picasa. Maybe Facebook, too? A press release said it can upload to “25 online photo sharing and social networking Web sites,” without saying which ones. We’ve asked for more info....
Motherboard reports: This follows a major drone registration campaign and requirement, launched by the FAA earlier this month. The rules require people to register all drones heavier than half a pound with the agency by February 19th, and threaten $27,500 in civil penalties for non-compliance. The rules were developed in a task force, and came despite strong objections from some model airplane companies and the Academy of Model Aeronautics, a hobbyist association....
